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A young child clutching her abdomen.

Genetic causes of congenital diarrhea and enteropathy come into focus

Clinical, Research
Congenital diarrheas and enteropathies are rare and devastating for infants and children. Treatments have consisted mainly of fluid and nutritional management. But in recent years, targeted dietary and drug therapies have emerged based on genetic discoveries. Now, research led by Boston Children’s Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and UCLA takes a major ... Read More about Genetic causes of congenital diarrhea and enteropathy come into focus
Tagged: gastroenterology, genetics and genomics, intestinal rehabilitation
A boy concentrates on his guitar fingering.

Genomic sequencing transforms a life: Asa’s story

Patient Stories, Research
Asa Cibelli feels like he’s been reborn. The straight-A middle schooler plays basketball and football, does jiu jitsu, is learning guitar, and can solve a Rubik’s cube in 40 seconds flat. But he once wondered if he’d ever feel better. From birth, Asa experienced chronic abdominal pain and severe diarrhea. The many doctors he saw ... Read More about Genomic sequencing transforms a life: Asa’s story
Tagged: gastroenterology, genetics and genomics, rare disease, research
MRI images of the falcine sinus with diameters of .36 cm and .96 cm

Could the falcine sinus hold the key to vein of Galen outcomes?

Clinical, Research
A Boston Children’s Hospital study uncovers how fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be a game-changer in predicting outcomes for infants born with vein of Galen malformations (VOGMs). The study, just published in Stroke, focused on the width of the falcine sinus (FS) — the fetal structure that channels blood from the malformation back to ... Read More about Could the falcine sinus hold the key to vein of Galen outcomes?
Tagged: cerebrovascular surgery and interventions center, developmental milestones, nicu, pulmonary hypertension, research, vein of galen malformation
A brain with the thalamus highlighted, with signals radiating out from it.

The thalamus: A potential therapeutic target for neurodevelopmental disorders

Basic/Translational, Research
Years ago, as a neurology resident, Chinfei Chen, MD, PhD, cared for a 20-year-old woman who had experienced a very small stroke, affecting only the thalamus. “It was so tiny that she wouldn’t have noticed any symptoms had the stroke been in any other area of the brain,” says Chen, who is now an investigator ... Read More about The thalamus: A potential therapeutic target for neurodevelopmental disorders
Tagged: autism, developmental medicine, neurology, neuroscience
A large intestine with bacteria clustered around grapes, olives, almonds, a pear, and a kiwifruit.

Partnering diet and intestinal microbes to protect against GI disease

Basic/Translational, Research
Despite being an everyday necessity, nutrition is something of a black box. We know that many plant-based foods are good for us, but we don’t always know why. Our intestinal microbiome, which helps break down these foods once we consume them, is another black box. What role do our gut bacteria play? Seth Rakoff-Nahoum, MD, ... Read More about Partnering diet and intestinal microbes to protect against GI disease
Tagged: diet, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, microbiome, nutrition
Two doctors review study results on a computer screen.

Past patient outcomes could help single-ventricle surgery decisions

Clinical, Research
When considering whether a child who has a single-ventricle heart defect would benefit more from biventricular repair or the Fontan procedure, heart specialists have lacked a key tool to guide them: data that shows possible long-term health risks of each surgical option. But Boston Children’s heart specialists — who perform biventricular repair more often than any other pediatric hospital — ... Read More about Past patient outcomes could help single-ventricle surgery decisions
Tagged: biventricular repair, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, heart, heart center, liver disease, research, single ventricle defects
An illustration of a brain with an area marked to represent a tumor

Pediatric high-grade gliomas: Research reveals effective targeting with avapritinib

Research
Pediatric high-grade gliomas, particularly H3K27M diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), are aggressive malignant brain tumors with a poor prognosis. Previous research suggests that platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) appears to play a multifaceted role in the pathogenesis of both adult and pediatric high-grade gliomas. Not only are genetic alterations of PDGFRA common in patients with ... Read More about Pediatric high-grade gliomas: Research reveals effective targeting with avapritinib
Tagged: brain tumor, cancer, glioma, research
A woman doubled over in pain, holding her abdomen.

A better treatment for endometriosis could lie in migraine medications

Basic/Translational
Endometriosis is a common, mysterious, often painful condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, forming lesions in locations such as the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and pelvis. These lesions can cause severe pain during periods, heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic or abdominal pain, and sometimes painful bowel movements and urination. Existing ... Read More about A better treatment for endometriosis could lie in migraine medications
Tagged: adolescent medicine, endometriosis, gynecology, neuroinflammation, vascular biology
Izadifar in the lab, working with an organ chip under a hood

Modeling urinary tract disorders on a chip: Zohreh Izadifar

Basic/Translational, Research
When a new tissue sample arrives from the Department of Urology, the Boston Children’s Hospital lab of Zohreh Izadifar, PhD springs into action. The tissue, from a child with urinary tract pathology, is whisked into the tissue culture room. Under a hood, lab members Dasvit Shetty, PhD, and Gretchen Carpenter, MSc, carefully isolate the cells ... Read More about Modeling urinary tract disorders on a chip: Zohreh Izadifar
Tagged: bioengineering, biomaterials and drug delivery, organoids, research rising stars, tissue engineering, urinary tract infection, urology
A virus superimposed on the intestine, with chain links.

A surprising link between Crohn’s disease and the Epstein-Barr virus

Clinical, Research
Crohn’s disease, a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease, has many known contributing factors, including bacterial changes in the microbiome that foster an inflammatory environment. Now, for the first time, Crohn’s disease been tied to a virus — specifically, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), best known for causing infectious mononucleosis (mono). Researchers had already observed increased levels of EBV ... Read More about A surprising link between Crohn’s disease and the Epstein-Barr virus
Tagged: crohn's disease, immunology, infectious diseases, inflammatory bowel disease

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